GROUNDED AIRCRAFT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26617, 13 November 1947, Page 6

GROUNDED AIRCRAFT

PLANES AT BIG BAY REPAIRS BEING EFFECTED Although no serious damage was done to the two aircraft at present grounded at Big Bay, it is expected that it will be some days before they are flown out. A new undercarriage leg has been fitted to the first plane, the Southern Scenic Airtrips Company’s Percival Proctor, and other repairs to the propeller have been completed. When the plane was caught by the surf, however, damage was done to the wing fabric and it has been necessary to drain and dry the wing thoroughly before the fabric is repaired and given a preservative coating. Fortunately, the engine remained clear of the salt water. The Tiger Moth from the Timaru Aero Club which is also on the beach was slightly damaged on one wing k the rudder and the propeller, but will be repaired either by the club’s mechanic or by the Southern Airtrips Company’s engineer, Mr B. Topliss, who is working on the Proctor. Both aircraft will be flown out when the repairs are completed. Two aircraft—one from Timaru and one from Queenstown —have flown supplies in to the men at the whitebait camp, while venison and fish have been obtainable in the area.